Snowden plotting route to Aintree with Hogan’s

March prep over hurdles on the cards.

Jamie Snowden will tread a familiar path with Hogan’s Height by switching him back to hurdles ahead of an outing in the Randox Health Grand National.

The Lambourn handler will adopt the same tactics he used ahead of the nine-year-old’s winning debut over the famous Aintree fences in the Grand Sefton in December.

With Hogan’s Height raised 12lb for that success, Snowden is confident the Foxtrot Racing-owned gelding will get his chance to shine in the world-famous marathon.

Snowden said: “Hogan’s Height will have a run over hurdles in March as that should put him right for the Grand National which he should realistically get in off a mark of 146.

“He had one little run over hurdles before running in the Sefton earlier in the season and that worked well, so that is why we are doing it again before the Grand National.

“It’s really exciting having a horse for the Grand National. I’m not saying he is well in off 146, but he has taken to those fences so well and it’s a horses for courses kind of place.”

Although Hogan’s Height, who is a short as 25-1 for the Grand National, is yet to race beyond three miles and a furlong, Snowden is optimistic he should see out the trip.

He said: “He is quite closely related to Madison Du Berlais, who won what was the Hennessy and is now the Ladbrokes Trophy, so stamina should be there in abundance.

“Whether he stays the four and a quarter miles who knows, but he has been trained for the Grand National.”

In order to prepare Hogan’s Height for his Merseyside return, Snowden will pop him over a few Aintree-style fences in Lambourn following his latest outing on track.

He added: “He will have a school over the National style fences in Lambourn as well which will hopefully be helpful.

“We did plenty of that last season before we planned to go for the Topham which he ended up missing as he wasn’t quite right.”

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